By Erin Reed | WASHINGTON – Audio from a small Twitter Space featuring legislators from Ohio and Michigan was automatically posted publicly, wherein Republican legislators revealed the “endgame” of anti-trans legislation was to ban trans care “for everyone.”
The Space, which ejected uninvited guests, included several Michigan senators and representatives, as well as Representative Gary Click from Ohio, who sponsored the state’s recent controversial gender-affirming care ban. Throughout the Space, the legislators seem to freely discuss their plans and strategies for targeting transgender care.
Towards the end of the Space, the conversation shifts to a plan for the “endgame,” where Republican legislators and anti-trans activist Prisha Mosley discuss various plans aimed at “banning this for everyone,” referring to gender-affirming care.
The Space, hosted by Representative Brad Paquette of Michigan, was a free-form discussion over potential inroads in Michigan, as well as ongoing strategy for anti-trans laws in Ohio. Representative Gary Click was a prominent participant. Others included Michigan Representatives Josh Schriver and Tom Kunse, as well as Senators Lana Theis and Jonathan Lindsey.
You can see & hear a full recording of the space here:
While the beginning of the Space focused more on transgender care for youth, 49 minutes into the discussion, attention turned to transgender adults. Representative Shriver asked, “In terms of endgame, why are we allowing these practices for anyone? If we are going to stop this for anyone under 18, why not apply it for anyone over 18? It’s harmful across the board, and that’s something we need to take into consideration in terms of the endgame.”
Representative Click then responded, “That’s a very smart thought there. I think what we know legislatively is we have to take small bites.”
He then turned to Governor DeWine’s targeting of transgender adult care clinics, stating, “The other thing is Planned Parenthoods; they pass out hormones like candy, he’s put a stop to that. That’s one of the places a lot of adults go. There’s also Euphoria and Plume.”
Governor DeWine’s regulations do go further than most transgender bans across the United States and could result in the mass closing of gender-affirming care clinics for transgender adults. Similar regulations were enacted in Florida, where 80% of all transgender care was eliminated by onerous requirements put on clinics serving them, such as requiring care be done in person and barring nurse practitioners from providing it. In Missouri, targeted restrictions on gender-affirming care providers were nearly put into place, causing many clinics to close. Notably, the Missouri regulations on transgender adults were blocked in court.
After this exchange, Representative Shriver continued by arguing adults consenting to gender-affirming care should not be allowed, going as far as to compare it to consent for “self-mutilation” and “euthanasia.” He then repeated, “we have to be looking at the endgame simultaneously, maybe even using that to move the window to say that this isn’t just wrong 0-18, it’s wrong for everyone and we shouldn’t be allowing that to happen.”
Representative Click confirmed the plan, stating, “ We have to take one bite at a time, do it incrementally.”
The conversation did not stop there. Prisha Mosley, an anti-trans detransitioner and right-wing political figure, lauded the discussion, “I did want to say that I’ve kind of been waiting for a state or a representative or anyone to be brave enough to address that… you cannot consent to a lie. Most of these doctors are straight up lying about the effects and saying it’ll magically cure every bad feeling you’ve ever had and that you can magically change sex.”
At the end of the conversation, Representative Schriver states that they should “ban this for all people,” to which Representative Paquette responds, “We’ll chat offline about all this good stuff.”
Increasingly, anti-trans organizations and politicians are turning their focus towards transgender adults. In a recent attack on the World Health Organization panel for trans care, the anti-trans organization Society for Evidence in Gender Medicine (SEGM) did not support access for trans care for those between 18-25 years old. Leor Sapir, who works at the Manhattan Institute, a right-wing think tank, argued that allowing “adults to do what they want” with respect to gender-affirming care was no longer congruent with “the libertarian position.” Similarly, bills and laws targeting transgender adults are increasingly common, with bathroom bans enacted in Utah and Florida that target adults, medical care restrictions on incarcerated trans adults, and many more bills banning gender-affirming care for age ranges including adults pending.
Never before have elected representatives spelled out the strategy of banning care for transgender adults so clearly. Representative Gary Click has ties to the Heritage Foundation and the Center for Christian Virtue, both of which are well known for playing a role in the development and authorship of anti-trans legislation. These freshly released recordings provide an important look into the endgame of anti-trans legislation: the elimination of transgender people from public life entirely through the banning of care at any age.
Quotes from the relevant portions of the Twitter Space are attached:
Rep Schriver: “In terms of endgame, why are we allowing these practice for anyone? If we are going to stop this for anyone under 18, why not apply it for anyone over 18? It’s harmful across the board and that’s something we need to take into consideration in terms of the endgame.”
Click: “That’s a very smart thought there. I think what we know legislatively is we have to take small bites. I think that what we can say is that for minors, they are not capable of giving informed consent… We already regulate what minors can do. They cannot sign contracts, buy cigarettes, consume alcohol, they can’t get a tattoo without their parents. We already have rules concerning that. For minors the prefrontal cortex is not developed, in fact that’s really not developed until the age of 24. I think there’s something to be said for adults being able to weigh the pros and the cons. One of the things the governor did, he made several mistakes, but he actually put in some things I had to negotiate out. One of them is getting the data, there’s no requirements to get the data. I had that in there, it got negotiated out… The other thing is planned parenthoods, they pass out hormones like candy, he’s put a stop to that. That’s one of the places a lot of adults will go. There’s also Euphoria and Plume, where you can get your letters and hormones through an app. We need to slow down the game.”
Rep Schriver: “When it comes to consenting… consenting to mutilation, consenting to self harm, consenting to killing yourself. There are a few people wanting adults to be able to consent to killing themselves legally like they do in Canada. When it comes to adults, I’m not saying anything in the way of dismissing what you’re saying about children and puberty blockers, that’s all very valid and necessary, I’m just saying moreover in addition to that, we have to be looking at the endgame simultaneously, maybe even using that to move the window to say that this isn’t just wrong 0-18, it’s wrong for everyone and we shouldn’t be allowing that to happen.”
Rep Click: “Reuters asked me one time when they said, do you feel bad because all of these states that are now blocking the procedures for children are having to close down their gender clinics and now adults can’t get care? And I said no, I don’t feel bad. We have to take one bite at a time, do it incrementally. When you put everything into one pot, it’s going to be harder for you to get any legislation across the finish line.”
Prisha Mosley: “I did want to say that I’ve kind of been waiting for a state or a representative or anyone to be brave enough to address that. I just wanted to throw out this is the angle I would go at it. It’s easier to handle the kids because of how we handle consent. However, I also think people in grave mental distress or who are mentally ill cannot consent. Also telling a suicidal person either take this treatment or die by your own hands, you can’t consent to that. And even take that away, you cannot consent to a lie. Most of these doctors are straight up lying about the effects and saying it’ll magically cure every bad feelings you’ve ever had and that you can magically change sex”
(The conversation veers back to trans youth until the end)
Rep Shriver: “And keep your mind open to banning this for all people, this is something that’s harmful for all people, whether you are 18, 19, 20 or older.”
Rep Paquette: “I certainly don’t disagree with the harm that this does for anybody. Yeah, we’ll chat offline about all this good stuff.”
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Erin Reed is a transgender woman (she/her pronouns) and researcher who tracks anti-LGBTQ+ legislation around the world and helps people become better advocates for their queer family, friends, colleagues, and community. Reed also is a social media consultant and public speaker.
Follow her on Twitter (Link)
Website here: https://www.erininthemorning.com/
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The preceding article was first published at Erin In The Morning and is republished with permission.
